Say Anything Else
by whitereflections12
Summary: JakeCassie oneshot Set after 54.  Jake's life is in ruins.  If he knows one thing, it's that Cassie can fix him.  Rated for sex, so if you don't want to read that, please don't.  If you are interested, I hope you enjoy.  Please review.


So I hadn't thought about Animorphs for a long time…but I did today. And I remembered how much I loved it. And I decided to write this, because I always loved Jake/Cassie. Not quite as much as I loved Tobias/Rachal but w/e. My second favorite Animorphs ship.

This is Jake/Cassie angst(in the beginning) and sex, with I guess a little bit of fluff at the end.

Don't own Animorphs. If I did, it would have continued.

Title was inspired by the song Say Anything(Else) by Cartel. I don't own it either.

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She didn't really expect the knock on her door, though part of her had sort of been expecting every night. Either way, she knew who would be standing on the other side when she pulled it open. "Jake… It's almost one in the morning."

He nodded, a little hesitant. "Yeah… I know that." Silence, then… "Come on, Cassie. Let me in."

Had she ever done any less? She opened the door wide, beckoning him in. She followed his gaze down, to the dog sniffing uncertainly at his sneakers.

"You got a dog." He was trying to make conversation but it was devoid of any warmth or sincerity, and she knew he hadn't come over in the middle of the night to make conversation.

"Alastor. Adopted him." She headed off down the hallway toward her bedroom, knowing he'd follow. Logic told her it probably wasn't the best place for just a 'talk' with Jake but… It was where she had been when he knocked. In bed. She had always been comfortable around him. Even now.

"Like the apartment."

"Which reminds me, how did you find it?"

"You gave me the address."

"I thought you lost it."

"Yeah, so did I." She sat down on the bed and he mirrored her, sitting down at the foot of it as close to her as she guessed he felt he could get. He said nothing, stared instead down at his hands.

If they were going to talk, she would have to start it. "Jake… What did you come here for?"

"I can't… Do this Cassie. I can't." He shook his head. "It's like I'm going crazy. I see their faces, when I sleep. Rachel. Tobias. Tom. But it isn't just them. It's everyone I've ever killed. Even some I haven't, some I've just seen die. I hear their voices. Then I wake up and I can't sleep and I can't go out and I started…" He seemed to choke on his words then, or maybe he was just afraid of her response. "I've started drinking and it helps the pain and it dulls the memories but I'm afraid that I can't stop." He looked up at her then, his eyes trapping hers as strongly as they ever had. "I'm even more afraid because I'm not sure I want to. And all I know is that the only thing else that has ever helped me, that could ever save me… It's you."

"Jake…"

"No, hear me out. I love you, Cassie. I know you love me. Yeah, I'm screwed up now but… To hell with it. I can't make this sound any better than it is, and I might as well tell the truth. I love you. But the point is, I need you. If you don't help me, I don't know where… I don't know what's going to happen to me. Whatever it is, I don't have the strength left to stop it."

He must have said it all, what he had come here to say, because his shoulders sagged a little, exhausted emotionally. His eyes, however, never left hers. They never did. It was there that she could see it still, the strength of a warrior. The strength of a captain. It was fading, but he still had it in him. She could feel her heart being torn in two. A battle between soul and logic. Her soul told her that she belonged with this man, in sickness or in health. In dark or in light. Logic told her she'd be getting into a bad relationship with a man she knew was unstable after his experiences, a man who admitted to starting down the road to alcoholism, a man with severe depression to the point most doctors would have probably recommended hospitalization and suicide watch. Most women wouldn't do it. Hell, she would have told another woman not to do it. Just then, while she was lost in thought, Jake cupped her cheek in his hand, thumb brushing across her lips.

"Cassie, please…"

"Jake I don't… I don't know."

He could see the indecision in her eyes, she knew. Just as well as he could see the temptation. He moved closer, body pressing against hers. "Cassie. Please. I need you." He kissed her then, easy and tender as he had the first time when they were nothing but shy children. "You fix things." He kissed her cheek. "I need you to fix me." He moved to her neck, his kisses becoming more sensual and less innocent.

"I did, once, remember, Jake? Didn't stick."

"I know." He sucked lightly at her skin, pushing her back into the pillows, resting his weight over her.

"It might never stick, you know that. After all you've been through…"

"I know." He was fully on top of her now, and she wasn't even sure how it had happened. He could probably feel her confusion, her body tense, because he chose that moment to kiss her lips again, this time sliding his tongue past her lips to caress her own.

"What then? What if I can't… Fix you."

"We'll figure it out as we go." He rested on his left forearm, right hand falling to grip her waist and pull her hips to his. "I love you."

"I know that you love me but-ah-" This was getting distracting. He ground his hips against her, gentle but insistent. She had forgotten how good that felt, how good he felt against her. It had been a very long time since they had last made love. "Sometimes love isn't enough."

He kissed her again, his tongue dancing passionately with hers this time, leaving her breathless. "Love is always enough." He straddled her, moved back a little to slide his hands under her shirt, wordlessly requesting her to sit up for him to remove it. She complied, closing her eyes at the oh-so-familiar feel of his hands running over her bare skin. As soon as he removed it he discarded his own, tossing it carelessly over his head. Still sitting up, he pulled her into another heated kiss, clearly anxious to feel as much of her skin against his own as possible.

"Love can't fix everything. Love can't change the past." She murmured it against his lips, her train of thought almost lost in the pleasure of it all, his hands now pushing her back to lay on the bed once more, falling to pull her sophies and panties from her hips in one motion.

"Love can make the past bearable."

Her hands slid across his back, running over the contours she knew so well. One of his hands cupped her breast and she tightened her hold, nails digging into his skin just enough to make his breath hitch. "You know this?"

He nuzzled into her chest, giving equal attention to her breasts before kissing the soft skin in between. "I want to believe it."

"Wanting has never made anything so."

"Not true. I wanted you." He slid his hand down her body, between her legs, fingers working in just the way he knew she loved. Her eyes shut, body arching into his touch, a soft moan escaping her lips. Even with her eyes closed, she knew he was watching her. He loved to watch her when he pleasured her. It was something about him she had always found endearing. "And I got you. Didn't I?"

"Not the same." She barely gasped the words out, focused more on what his fingers were doing. He stroked her with his thumb, slid one finger in, then two, simulating with his hand what he would soon be doing with his body.

"Or not a good enough reason." He increased the tempo, rubbing her with more certain strokes. "Here's a better one." He lowered his body closer to hers, nuzzled against her ear. "I trust you."

The combination of the movements of his hand and his voice in her ear, something in the very words he spoke was all too much and she came hard around his hand, muscles clenching. A low moan escaped his lips as she contracted around his fingers. He rubbed against her thigh. She could feel him, painfully hard. She knew it had been as long for him as it had been for her, but he had begun slowly. Another trait of his. For Jake, it would not do to have her come less than twice. Anything else was not befitting of a gentleman. And whatever else he was, to her, Jake had always been a gentleman. It went hand and hand with being a good leader, that sense of taking care of those under him, be it his soldiers or his woman. He did it well.

Hand trembling a little in anticipation, he unbuckled his belt and pulled down the zipper, shoving his jeans and boxers roughly down his hips but not bothering to pull them all the way off. He was desperate. He nudged at her entrance, ready but all the same his eyes asked her for permission. He always did, though he had never been denied. She wrapped her legs around his waist, drawing him close. When he entered her with one swift but gentle thrust she moaned his name, her whole body shuddering at the welcome intrusion.

He loved hearing his name off her lips during sex, she knew, and the answering passionate kiss did not take her by surprise. He began to move, each thrust aimed to rub against her just right to hit those most sensitive nerves, arms wrapped securely around her body. Every motion reminded her just how much she was treasured by the man in her arms. Their conversation broken off, their low moans and soft cries were the only verbalizations, mingled with harsh, unsteady breathes. When she whimpered against his neck he increased the tempo. He knew when she was close. He always did. Then again, he should, seeing as he was the only man she had ever been with. It was only then, with him inside her, that she realized he was the only man she ever wanted to be with. Jake kissed her collarbone, breath hot against her skin.

"Cassie. Marry me."

Her mind was hazy with pleasure, it took her a moment to even register the question. "Ja-"

"You said, a year but… I don't want to wait." He thrust hard into her, drew another cry from her lips and a groan from his own. "We belong together. You know this. You fix me and I…" He kissed her, rough and open mouthed. "I will always take care of you. 'S what I do."

"N-"

He covered her lips with another rough kiss, swallowing the word. "Say anything. Anything else. Not no. Tell me to wait," His body was trembling. He was so close, but he would wait for her. He always waited for her. "Tell me to go to hell. Tell me anything but no."

"Jake, I…" She gave up on speech, arched into him and came hard, head falling back. He followed behind her, sucking hard on her neck when he let go, riding it out with three final thrusts before he went still, chest heaving.

Pressing a final kiss to her neck he pulled out, moving down to collapse on top of her with his chin resting on her ribs, looking up at her. "Cassie. Marry me. I know you feel… This. What we have. There's not going to be anything else like this."

"You know that?" She was half teasing him now. Her heart had made the decision.

"More than I know anything."

Screw logic. "I don't know why I'm doing this."

"What we just did?"

"More than that."

"Say the words."

She ran her fingers through his tousled hair. "Yes. I'll marry you."

He grinned, moved up to kiss her, murmured against her lips. "That, that was the anything else I wanted to hear."

She laughed softly, hands once again beginning to wander over his back. "Baby… No matter what I should have said… Somewhere along the way I've lost the ability to say no to you."

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I couldn't have her saying no now, could I? Would create for more angst…sex without resolution….but I am the hopeless romantic to end all hopeless romantics. lol

Review, and let me know what you think. I hope you enjoyed it!


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